The Sundance Film Festival kicked off its 2026 edition with a slate of highly anticipated comedy premieres, drawing a star-studded cast including Natalie Portman, Seth Rogen, and Jenna Ortega.
The festival’s Saturday lineup featured the world premieres of two comedic films, “The Galleri t” and “The Invite.” “The Galleri t,” directed by Cathy Yan, stars Portman as Polina Polinski, an art gallery owner attempting to make a name for herself at Art Basel in Miami. Ortega co-stars as Polina’s assistant, who becomes embroiled in a plot to sell a dead body.
Following “The Galleri t” is “The Invite,” directed by Olivia Wilde. The film, written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, follows a couple (Wilde and Rogen) whose dinner party with their upstairs neighbours (Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton) takes an unexpected turn. Sundance programmers have described “The Invite” as a return to form for Wilde, harkening back to her comedic debut “Bookmart.”
The Eccles Theatre also hosted the premiere of “Wicker,” starring Olivia Colman as a sardonic fisherwoman who commissions a basketweaver, played by Alexander Skarsgård, to make her a husband.
All of the films showcased are seeking distribution deals at the Sundance Film Festival, which runs until February 1st.
